In Vegas you can find condos for 250k but single family is going to be between 400-500K for an average house. Condos are going to have a HOA. Most garages will be detached. We just looked at a condo (thinking of etting one for my daughter) that is 280K.
https://www.zillow.com/homes/7450-S-.../7159476_zpid/
For single family in that price range maybe Parumph. Anything in that price range in the greater LV area is not going to be in a place you want to be. The days of 250K houses in the greater Phoenix are are just as long gone.
As far as gopher plinking, those days are LONG LONG gone. I admit we did it when I lived in Tempe in the 70s. In fact, the location is now the Intel plant in Chandler. But that was the days of the wild west. I do know of private land in Wyoming, but there'll be nothing like that anywhere I can think of. In driving around the area I do see trails where people have off loaded 4x4s but I suspect they are private land. Federal lands restrict those now. There are of course the traditional "unimproved public roads" that get a road grader and a salt shaker of gravel once a year, but they're going to be a day trip from here.
How about looking is Southern Utah? It's cooler, but also rural areas there will be a lot cheaper. People here have "cabins" up there...